The present invention relates generally to network computing. In particular the present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for synchronizing a stack bus on a Fast Ethernet repeater stack.
The growth of local-area networks (LANs) has been driven by the introduction of Ethernet technology as well as the availability of powerful, affordable personal computers and workstations. As a result, applications that once were possible only on mainframe computers are now running on LANs. Network speed and availability are critical requirements. However, existing applications and a new generation of multimedia, groupware, imaging, and database products can tax a network running at Ethernet's traditional speed of 10 megabits per second (Mbps). Moreover, with more applications requiring faster LAN speeds for acceptable performance, network managers increasingly find that high-performance computation platforms and mission-critical applications can overwhelm a 10 Mbps network. Network managers therefore are increasingly are implementing high-speed LAN technology.